Horizontal-air-flow humidifier



June 9, 1964 R. P. sKERRlTT HORIZONTAL-AIR-FLOW HUMIDIF'IER 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed NOV. 9, 1959 INVENTOR. foy/QJn/f/f/P/rr BY 4. M. .F O Ill m 4) W.. 6 fw d. lll o 0 Z Mtv 4J n w 0 JM 3 Ul m 4d 'I mf/M. 4 4

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United States Patent M' ce 3,136,829 HORIZONTAL-AIR-FLOW HUMIDIFIER Roy P. Skerritt, 18411 Inirster Road, Livonia, Mich. Filed Nov. 9, 1959, Ser. No. 851,922 3 Claims. (Cl. 26h-11M) This invention relates to humidifiers and, in particular, to humidifiers installed in heating and/ or Ventilating systems.

Hitherto, humidifiers installed in heating and/ or Ventilating systems have been usually of inadequate humiditying capacity to properly hurnidify the space intended to be humidified. The principal reason for this inadequacy lay in the fact that it was impossible or impractical to mount a sufficient number of humidifying plates or other humidifying structures within a heater or heating duct of sufficient area to provide an adequate rate and volume of evaporation of water to properly humidify the heated space, more especially since these humidifying plates were mounted vertically in spaced parallel relationship. The humidifying action of prior humidifiers has been further hampered by the fact that most of them operate on 'the principle of the upfiow of water by capillary attraction through a porous humidifier plate or sheet, with the result that lime deposited from the water under the action of heat upon hard water has clogged the pores in these plates or sheets and consequently at first slowed down and eventually terminated the humidifying action by blocking the upward flow of water.

Another defect of prior humidifiers lay in the electrolysis produced by minerals left in the humidifier pan in concentrated form as the water was evaporated, reacting elec'trolytically with the metallic parts of the pan, valves, and other metal parts, the resulting ow of electric current causing corrosion and other deteriorating effects interfering with the proper action of the humidifier. Furthermore, the lime deposited within the pan was a further defect which additionally prevented adequate action of the humidifier. A further defect of prior humidifiers which sprayed the humidifying water into an air stream consisted of the production of lime dust from the hard water being sprayed, this lime dust being carried along with the air stream, especially where the air was being forced through the dust under abnormally high pressure. The humidiiier of the present invention eliminates these defects and accomplishes adequate humidiiication in the manner set forth below in the specification and summarized in the following objects of the invention.

Accordingly,- one object of this invention is to` provide a horizontal-air-flow humidifier for heating and Ventilating systems which enables the area of the capillary waterevaporating material to be enormously increased in contrast to prior humidifiers. i

Another object is to provide a humidifier of the foregoing character adapted to be installed in a heated air duct outside the heater itself and consequently at a lower temperature than the temperature inside the heater, with a consequently great reduction in the clogging by lime of the capillary humidifying sheets employed in the humidifier, the present inventor having found by experimentation that such clogging decreases greatly with a decrease in the temperature to which the humidifier sheets are subjected.

Another object is to provide a humidier of the foregoing character wherein 'the humidifier sheets are sus` pended and wherein the water is supplied from the top and descends therein while the air moves in a generally horizontal path past the humidifier sheets, thereby enabling the sheet to be much thinner and of greater height than is possible with humidifier capillary plates drawing water upward from a pan in which the plates are stand- 3,136,829 Patented June 9, 1964 ing, the thin sheets presenting less obstruction to the iiow of air than the necessarily thick upstanding humidifier plates, the thickness of which is required for suflicient structural strength.

Another object is to provide a humidifier of the foregoing character wherein the capillary humidifying sheets are arranged in tiers spaced apart from one another and wherein the water is supplied both above and below the sheets, thereby greatly increasing the evaporating capacity of the humidifier.

Another object is to provide a humidifier as set forth in the object immediately preceding wherein the minerals in the water are carried along by an overflow piping system along with an overflow of water which is supplied in excess of evaporation requirements.

Another object is to provide a humidifier as set forth in the two objects immediately preceding wherein the intermediate and lower pans of the humidier are provided with independent drain pipes which are adapted to be opened periodically to drain off lime or other residue deposited therein before it can become obstructed.

Another object is to provide a humidifier of the foregoing character wherein the capillary humidifier sheets are disposed in undulating paths transverse to the direction of flow of the air through the humidifier, thereby greatly increasing the area of capillary material exposed to the air stream and consequently increasing the rapidity and volume of humidification.

Another object is to provide a humidifier of the foregoing character wherein humidiiication is accomplished not only by the contact of the air stream with the capil-A lary humidifying sheets but also with the surface of the water in a plurality of partially-nested evaporator pans, the air moving in a generally horizontal but circuitous path by being rst deflected downward then horizontally over the surface of the water in the pan and then upward in a circuitous path as well as past the evaporator sheets, whereby the humidifier is offset downwardly relatively to the main air stream so as to create the minimum of obstruction to the free flow of air therealong.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a central longitudinal section through a heating and Ventilating duct and an evaporator installed therein, according to one form of the invention, taken along the line 1-1 in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan View of the humidilien'with the air duct in horizontal section, taken along the line 2-2 in FIGURE l;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-section taken along the line 3 3 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a generally horizontal section with the lowest pan in top plan view, taken along the generally horizontal but partly inclined line 4-4 in FIGURE l; and

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged exploded central vertical longitudinal section similar to FIGURE 1, but with the humidifier removed from the duct and with its components separated vertically from one another in order to clarify the showing. l

Referring to the drawings in detail, FIGURES l, 2, 3 and 5 show a humidifier, generally designated 10, according to one form of the invention as mounted in a rectanguv tar aperture 12 in the bottom wall 14 of an air duct, generally designated 16, of a heating and/or Ventilating system (not shown), the duct 16 having parallel vertical sides 18 and a top wall 2li. The duct 16 is conventional, together with the heating and/ or Ventilating system to which it is connected, and its details are beyond the scopeY of the present invention. The duct 16, however, is as- 3 sumed to be substantially horizontal for the purpose of the present invention, so that the air to be humidified moves in a generally horizontal path through the air passageway 22 within the duct 16, as indicated by the upper arrows in FIGURE 1.

The humidifier 16 consists generally of a pan structure 23 including a lower component 26 and an upper component 28 disposed one above the other in verticallyspaced relationship and having lower, intermediate and upper pans 30, 32, and 34 respectively. The intermediate pan 32 also serves as a cover member for the lower pan 30, while the upper pan 34 serves as a top member for the humidifier 1t). The lower pan 30 has a bottom wall 36 (FIGURES l and 3) which is inclined slightly downwardly from steeply inclined end Walls 3S and til and substantially vertical side walls 42. The lower pan 30 is provided at its periphery with hollow double-hanged end and side edge mounting portions 44 and 46 respectively suitably drilled in alignment to receive bolts 4S by which the humidifier is secured to the bottom wall 14 of the duct 16 adjacent the aperture 12 therein. The bottom wall 36 at its central lowest point is apertured and provided with a recessed drain connection coupling 50 to which a lower drain pipe 52 is connected. The bottom wall 36 near its junction with the end wall 4d is also apertured and provided with an overflow fitting 54 to which an overflow pipe 56 is connected, the coupling 54 having a riser portion S which regulates the desired depth of the water in the lower pan 30. The end wall lib is additionally apertured to receive a coupling 60 for a drain line 62 from the intermediate pan 32 and in turn connected by way of a suitable shutoff valve (not shown) to a drain (also not shown).

Secured as by welding to the opposite side walls 42 of the lower pan 30 are elongated horizontal angle brackets 64 (FIGURE 3) upon which rests the bottom wall 66 of the intermediate pan 32. The latter is shallowly-inclined from its parallel vertical side walls 68 with their upper edge anges 69 and from its steeply-inclined end walls 70 to a central overow titting 72 at its lowest point, the overflow litting 72 having a riser portion 74 determining the desired depth of water in the intermediate pan 32.

The opposite end Walls 70 of the intermediate pan 32 are provided with horizontal rows of laterally-spaced holes 76 arranged on the same horizontal level and serving to receive humidifying sheet frames, generally designated 78 of isosceles trapezoidal shape with parallel lower and upper rod portions 80 and S2 (FIGURE 5) and inclined end rod portions 84. The upper rod portion S2 is parted as at 86 to receive a coupling ferrule 3S. The holes 76 are so located and the frame end rod portions S4 of such lengths as to locate the bottom rod portion Si) of each frame 78 beneath the bottom wall 66 in spaced relationship therewith. Draped over the lower and upper portions Si) and 82 of the frames 78 are loops 99 and 92 of lower and upper undulatory capillary humidifying sheets 94 and 96 respectively. The undulatory capillary sheets 94 and 96 are made from any suitable capillary sheet material, such as fibrous glass sheet material having a porous texture possessing a capillary action upon the Water being evaporated. Draped over and secured to the opposite end walls 70 of the intermediate pan 32 are capillary humidifying sheets 98 of U-shaped crosssection (FIGURES l and 5) riveted or otherwise secured thereto, these being of the same capillary material mentioned above. The bottom wall 66 of the intermediate pan 32, near its junction with one of the end walls 79, is recessed and apertured as at 100 to receive the upper end of the intermediate drain pipe 62.

The upper pan 34 of the upper component 28 is not a pan with enclosing side walls as in the case of the lower and intermediate pans 3i) and 32, but has a shallowlyinclined bottom wall 102 with downwardly-extending opposite lateral edge flanges 164 extending longitudinally along the entire length of the bottom wall 102. The pan 34 also has steeply inclined opposite ends 166 with opposite lateral edge flanges 1&3. Stretched laterally across the bottom wall 162 and extending over the lower and upper sides thereof are the lower and upper courses 107 and 109 of a humidifier element 110 in the shape of an endless loop resembling that of a roller towel. The lower course 107 rests upon the tops of the loops 92 of the upper undulatory humidifying sheet 96, which in turn rests upon the upper rod portions S2 of the frames 78. The humidifier element 110 is held down against the tops of the loops 92 by two parallel cross rods 112 (FIGURES l and 3), the opposite ends of which project laterally beneath the upper edge fianges 69 of the side walls 68 of the intermediate pan 32.

The central or lowest portion of the bottom wall 162 of the upper pan 34 is provided with an aperture 114 which is straddled by an inverted U-shaped bracket 116 to which is connected a threaded fitting 118 for the lower end of a water supply pipe 120. The fitting 118 has a downwardly-extending tubular portion 12.2 through which the water drips onto the upper course of the humidifier element 110. The bracket 116 is bolted or otherwise secured to the bottom Wall 102. The water supply pipe 121) passes through a hole 124 in the upper Wall 2t) of the duct 16 and is provided with any suitable conventional regulatory valve 126, which in turn is connected by a pipe 128 to a suitable source of water supply, such as the domestic cold water main. The right-hand end walls 7 (i and 166 of the intermediate and upper pans 26 and 28 also serve as air defiectors or scoops to intercept and deiiect air passing through the air duct passageway 22 downward through the downwardly-offset central portions of the humidifier air channels or passageways 130 and 132 between the pans 3i), 32 and 34.

In the operation of the invention, with the humidifier 10 installed and connected as above described and with the overiiow and drain pipes 56 and 62 connected to a suitable drain, the operator opens the regulatory valve 12.6 (FIGURE l) to supply water through the water supply pipe 12@ from the pipe 128, whence it drips through the tubular portion 122 of the fitting 118 onto the upper course 169 of the humidifying element 110. From here, part of the water spreads out horizontally by capillarity over the upper course 109 and around the lateral edge ilangcs 194 to the lower course 167. The remainder of the water drips through the pores of the upper course 11i? and through the aperture 114 directly onto the central portion of the lower course 167, whence it spreads laterally toward the edges thereof. When the upper humidiying clement 110 becrnes saturated, the excess water drips downward to the intermediate pan 32 of the intermediate component 26, whence it falls upon the loops 92 of the upper undulatory capillary humidifying sheet 96. This water spreads through the latter by capillary attraction, and, and when the saturaration point is reached drips onto the bottom wall 66 of the intermediate pan 32. This pan gradually fills up with water until the level rises to the top of the riser 74 of the overflow fitting 72, whereupon further arrival of water passes downward through the riser 74 onto the loops 96 of the lower undulatory capillary humidifying sheet 94. When the latter becomes saturated, further arrival of water drips ofi" the loops onto the inclined bottom `wall 36. The water rises in the lower pan 3) until it reaches the top of the riser 5S of the overflow fitting 54, whence it escapes through the overflow pipe 56.

Meanwhile, the air which has been heated by the heating apparatus and forced through the duct 16 by a blower or other suitable means, passes through the lower and upper channels 130 and 132 respectively (FIGURE 1) between the lower pan 30, intermediate pan 32 and upper pan 3S, picking up water not only from the capillary sheet material of the upper capillary element and the intermediate and lower capillary elements 96 and 94, but

also from the surface of the water in the intermediate and lower pans 32 and 30 respectively. From FIGURE 1 is will be seen that the top member or upper pan 28 and the intermediate and lower pans 32 and 30 respectively are disposed in partially-nested relationship, and that the end walls 40, 70 and 106 of the lower, intermediate and upper pans 30, 32 and 34 respectively are inclined relatively to one another to produce a so-called venturi effect which accelerates the flow of air through the lower and upper channels 130 and 132 respectively. Meanwhile, air passing through the upper course 109 of the upper capillary element 110 picks up further moisture and adds this to the screen of air passing through the duct 16. f

In this manner, the duct 16 delivers a supply of highlyhumidied in a large volume to the room or other space being heated and/or ventilated, and thus accomplishes humidiflcation in a rapid, eicient and economical Way.

What I claim is: 1. A horizontal humidifier comprising a Water pan structure including elongated generally-horizontal lower and intermediate water pans,

each of said lower and intermediate pans having laterally-spaced opposite side walls, longitudinally-spaced end walls inclined upwardly away from one another and a bottom Wall, Han-ged mounting means around the upper periphery of said lower pan, and an elongated generally horizontal upper pan having longitudinally-spaced end walls inclined upwardly away from one another and a bottom wall,

said upper, intermediate and lower pans being disposed in partially-nested relationship with the bottom wall of said intermediate pan disposed below the upper edge of said lower pan and with the bottom wall of said upper pan disposed below the upper edge of said intermediate pan with the inclined end walls of said pans arranged in overlying relationship with one another; means for holding said pans in said vertically-spaced partially-nested relationship, porous capillary water-evaporating means disposed in said pans, t

and means for supplying water to said pans.

2. A horizontal humidier, according to claim 1, wherein the said end walls of the said pans at one end of said pan structure are disposed approximately parallel to one another. Y

3. A horizontal humidifier, according to claim 1, Wherein the said end walls of the said pans at both ends of said pan structure are disposed approximately parallel to one another.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 329,115 Wurster Oct. 27, 1885 432,837 Renalds July 22, 1890 631,061 Barbour Aug. 15, 1899 1,116,861 Wilson Nov. 10, 1914 1,418,296 Gohman June 6, 1922 1,954,177 Jones Apr. 10, 1934 2,002,273 Parker et al. May 21, 1935 2,003,938 Husson June 4, 1935 2,307,938 Mathias Ian. 12, 1943 2,590,377 Cater Mar. 25, 1952 2,838,294 Y Skerritt June 10, 1959 3,055,645 Felderman Sept. 25, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,213,589 France Nov. 2, 1959 

1. A HORIZONTAL HUMIDIFER COMPRISING A WATER PAN STURCTURE INCLUDING ELONGATED GENERALLY-HORIZONTAL LOWER AND INTERMEDIATE WATER PANS, EACH OF SAID LOWER AND INTERMEDIATE PANS HAVING LATERALLY-SPACED OPPOSITE SIDE WALLS, LONGITUDINALLY-SPACED END WALLS INCLINED UPWARDLY AWAY FROM ONE ANOTHER AND A BOT TOM WALL, FLANGED MOUNTING MEANS AROUND THE UPPER PERIPHERY OF SAID LOWER PAN, AND AN ELONGATED GENERALLY HORIZONTAL UPPER PAN HAVING LONGITUDINALLY-SPACED END WALLS INCLINED UPWARDLY AWAY FROM ONE ANOTHER AND A BOTTOM WALL, SAID UPPER, INTERMEDIATE AND LOWER PANS BEING DISPOSED IN PARTIALLY-NESTED RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BOTTOM WALL OF SAID INTERMEDIATE PAN DISPOSED BELOW THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID LOWER PAN AND WITH THE BOTTOM WALL OF SAID UPPER PAN DISPOSED BELOW THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID INTERMEDIATE PAN WITH THE INCLINED END WALSS OF SAID PANS ARRANGED IN OVERLYING RELATIONSHIP WITH ONE ANOTHER; 